This workshop in May 2016 discussed a new type of village studies in Indonesia. The 2014 Village Law will likely cause a considerable change in the character of village governance and leadership in the coming years. Overall questions are: what will be the impact of Indonesia’s Village Law on the character of villages and their role in Indonesia’s economic and political development? How can we study this change across Indonesia in a comparative manner? What can we learn from the history of village governance in the context of change processes taking place in rural areas?